On the news right now they are showing the memorial service for the nine firefighters that died. Bagpipes were shown playing. I have seen this before at other official funeral services.
Why bagpipes?
One story i have encountered in several places is that the fire companies of the mid 19th century were (like the police) heavily populated by Irish and Scots immigrants who marked the funerals of their fallen comrades with the pipes. The haunting refrain of the pipes caught the attention of other firefighter (and police) groups who began requesting that their own be piped to the cemetary, as well, establishing a tradition that has become general to firefighters and police.
I will note a couple of things about that anecdote that I find odd.
The Scots (who had the Highland pipes, suitable for marching) were never a coherent immigrant group populating fire and police departments in the way the Irish were.
The Irish Uilleann pipes are softer and more suitable to indoor performances, and are typically played while seated.
I have no evidence that the Irish never used the Highland pipes, but the juxtaposition seems odd. (In addition, my memories of police and fire department funerals recall the appearance of pipes as a new thing in the late 1960s.)
However, my “memory” of funerals from prior to that time could be affected by the fact that they were not often broadcast on TV back in the 1950s when the local news was a half hour program and the national news was broadcast for 15 minutes. It could also be that the tradition was strong in Boston and New York and was either not present or less frequent in places like Detroit and Pontiac.
Well the master says about what Tom says. However his column seems to be a bit light on proof or cites. But of course Cecil can’t be wrong. His column is his cite.
Speaking of lack of cites, wikipedia (one of the reasons I hate to use that as a “source”) also has an article on “Amazing Grace” (which I assume is the melody being played on the pipes). It also says basicly the same thing.
I’ve heard the same thing through the years, but I’m in that part of the country with lots o’ Irish firefighters.
Heck, I’m a quarter-Irish firefighter. Maybe that’s why I took this career path…never thought about that aspect of it.
Of course, I’m a lot more Portuguese than Irish, and I’ve never figured out why they play the pipes for us Portuguese firefighters.
I wasn’t aware of the link between the Irish and the pipes.
It all starts to make sense. Thanks.
I always think of bagpipes of creating noise that could wake the dead. I guess it’s their way of making sure, before the burial.
JFI, I’ve never seen a funeral for an Irish firefighter/police officer in Ireland where the procession was led by a piper. I’ve always seen it as a New England/New York/Chicago thing.
Irish War Pipes, however, nearly identical to the scottish highland pipes, are a marching instrument.
old Starfleet/Vulcan tradition.
What?
Why did you think they had green blood? 
This is a good point. Although the history is murky, there are references to the Irish playing the pipes in the 16th century. That was long before the uilleann pipers were developed, in the early 18th century. It’s not clear exactly what those pre-18th century Irish pipes were, but given the close relationships and common origins of the Irish and the Scots, it’s not a stretch to assume that the early Irish pipes were similar to the pipes which have evolved into the Scottish pipes, now often called the Great Highland Pipes.
The Irish pipes went into a decline in the late 17th and 18th century, probably as part of the general difficulties in Ireland following the Boyne. There has since been a revival of the Irish pipes, and nowadays sets with only two drones, rather than three, are commonly called the Irish war pipes. However, even here it’s not that clear-cut, as there is considerable evidence of two-droned pipes being played in Scotland as well, up until the early 19th century.
So out of all this murkiness, it is possible to hypothesise that Irish immigrants to North American may have brought some piping traditions with them, but exactly what instruments and traditions are unclear. However, there may be a parallel to the pipers of Cape Breton. Researchers have shown that the Cape Breton pipers have a considerably different style of play on the GHB from what are now considered the standard piping techniques. The Cape Breton style may reflect an earlier tradition for the GHB that their ancestors brought with them from Scotland, before the standardising effect of the British military pipe bands in the 19th century. The Cape Breton style is now being studied by Scottish pipers, to gain insight into early piping traditions in Scotland. Irish immigrants similarly may have brought piping traditions with them that did not survive in Ireland.
But it’s all very uncertain.
See these links:
Irish Warpipes (Link to thread on the Bob Dunsire Bagpipe forum)
Doing a bit of poking around - the Fire Department of New York Emerald Society Pipe Band was formed in 1961, so as tom suggests, it looks like organized piping for firefighters is a relatively recent development. At the same time, the web-site states: “What better way to preserve and encourage our Irish traditions and cultures than to form this band.” So, recent innovation, but said to be linked to Irish traditions.
Similarly, the NYPD Emerald Society Pipe Band was formed in the 1960s, according to their history page.
One final point that I’ve always wondered about in Cecil’s column, cited earlier:
Is he referring specifically to Irish bagpipes being a “dying art”, or bagpipes generally, like the Great Highland Bagpipe?
If the latter, I think he’s out by a century - playing the GHB went into a sharp decline following the '45, and was probably an endangered species by the late 18th century, but then picked up again by a combination of factors, such as the development of the Scottish Highland regiments in the British army.
If he’s referring specifically to the Irish playing pipes being a dying art at the end of the 19th century, other than the uilleann pipes, I’d be interested in what sources he was relying upon.
